Editor 's note : This post was created for your reading pleasure as a collaborative effort between the editorial staffs of BuzzFeed and CNN .

-LRB- BuzzFeed/CNN -RRB- -- Whether it 's for television or a feature film , it 's not easy to pull off a gay role as a straight actor . Many have tried , but it takes a great actor to make the role three dimensional and believable .

Steven Soderbergh 's `` Behind the Candelabra : My Life With Liberace , '' which aired on HBO on Sunday , is being lauded by critics , especially for its touching , respectful , and well-rounded performances by Michael Douglas and Matt Damon .

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Here are 20 examples of actors who successfully pulled off playing a different sexuality on screen .

1 . Tom Hanks , `` Philadelphia ''

2 . Robin Williams , `` The Birdcage ''

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3 . Matt Damon , `` The Talented Mr. Ripley ''

4 . Greg Kinnear , `` As Good As It Gets ''

5 . Hilary Swank , `` Boys Do n't Cry '' -LRB- while Swank 's character Brandon Teena was transgender , not gay , the role was iconic for many gays and lesbians -RRB-

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6 . Charlize Theron , `` Monster ''

7 . Christina Ricci , `` Monster ''

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8 . Jake Gyllenhaal , `` Brokeback Mountain ''

9 . Heath Ledger , `` Brokeback Mountain ''

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10 . Philip Seymour Hoffman , `` Capote ''

11 . Nelsan Ellis , `` True Blood ''

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12 . Sean Penn , `` Milk ''

13 . James Franco , `` Milk ''

14 . Eric Stonestreet , `` Modern Family ''

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15 . Ewan McGregor , `` I Love You Phillip Morris ''

16 . Jim Carrey , `` I Love You Phillip Morris ''

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17 . Julianne Moore , `` The Kids Are All Right ''

18 . Annette Bening , `` The Kids Are All Right ''

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19 . Matt Damon , `` Behind the Candelabra : My Life With Liberace ''

20 . Michael Douglas , `` Behind the Candelabra : My Life With Liberace ''

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HBO 's `` Behind the Candelabra : My Life With Liberace '' is being lauded by critics

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Michael Douglas and Matt Damon play the famed pianist and his lover

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Many actors who are not gay in reality have portrayed gay characters , real and fictional

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Tom Hanks , Charlize Theron and Hilary Swank won Oscars for playing gay or transgender characters